Promoting Affiliate Programs without using them - Ethical?

Bluegrass you have hit the jackpot. I agree 100% with you and I think you are right on.

Trisha you also have a point but it matches with Bluegrasses point. A store keeper does not say "this is the best thing there is." He just sells. So if you just refer great, but if you use ads like "the best thing out there" then you are lying.

 

I am sorry, but it is called marketing. No one can ever justify something being the "best thing ever", it is impossible to define.

Ethics is a very complicated matter, and will never be solved on this forum. You could spend years and years trying to figure out what would be "ethical".

My advice is this, do what you think is right. No one can tell if it is ethical, because it would just be an answer based on opinion.

Wow, I feel like I am in a Philosophy and Ethics class right now

 

I think it is ethical. Even the most so called ethical companies do it see for example the Google Adsense ad ( in the Adsense referral program) it says "Earn money from your website" now if you put Adsense ads all over your website without promoting your website or without having any real traffic would you earn any money. I doubt that. The Ad should be Earn money if you have a good website with a fair amount of traffic but Google won't do that.